Tarangire, one of Tanzania’s less well-known game parks, matches the Serengeti in terms of the quantity and variety of species it is home to. Travelers who want to go on safari and see more wildlife and less people might consider it. In addition to being a great place for birdwatching, the Tarangire National Park is also home to a lot of wildlife, especially during the dry season when the Tarangire River serves as the only supply of water for the region. Due to the abundance of beautiful baobab trees in the landscape, it is also particularly interesting.
The park is located between the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west and the grasslands of the Masai Steppe to the south and east, just off the well-known northern Tanzania Safari Circuit. The permanent River Tarangire, which runs through Tarangire’s northern sector, is known as the park’s lifeline, especially during the dry season when most of the area is completely dry. This flows in a northerly direction till it leaves the park and empties into Lake Burungi in the northwest corner. In the south, there are several large marshes that turn into verdant grasslands during the dry season.
WHY TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Wildlife Migration
Every year, from June to November, during the dry season, Tarangire hosts a wildlife migration that, while less spectacular than the annual migration of wildebeests in the Serengeti, nonetheless attracts a sizable number of animals. Since the Tarangire River is the only source of water in this area of the country, which is mostly dry, a significant number of wildebeests, elephants, gazelles, zebras, and hartebeest, as well as numerous predators like lions, come to drink and graze along the river’s banks. Large herds of wildebeests and zebras migrate toward the Rift Valley bottom in the northwest during the rainy months of November to May.
Baobab Trees
According to legend, the Tarangire Park is home to some of the oldest baobabs, some of which are over 1000 years old. Baobabs, which can grow up to 30 meters tall and have robust trunks up to 11 meters in diameter, are both a distinctive feature of the African landscape and an essential component of the ecology. This towering monster, also known as “The Tree of Life,” keeps the soil moist during dry spells and offers food, drink, and shelter to numerous birds, insects, and small reptiles.